Native American Flute Player to Celebrate Album Project in the Black Hills Darren Thompson to Host Album Release Party at Sage & Silver

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA—Native American flute player Darren Thompson will host an album release concert at Sage & Silver Gallery and Boutique in Downtown Rapid City on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 from 5 to 7 p.m. The concert will celebrate compositions and local talents that have contributed to Darren’s second album, “Between Earth and Sky: Native American Flute Music Recorded in the Black Hills,” which is produced and distributed by Drumhop Productions out of Bismarck, North Dakota.

“I am beyond excited to share this project in the Black Hills,” said Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Darren Thompson. “This is an event for the many people who have contributed to this project through the Black Hills in some way and I invite anyone who has an interest and appreciation in American Indian culture and music to celebrate with us at Sage & Silver.”

The concert will feature compositions from Between Earth and Sky that highlight instruments that have been reintroduced through rigorous museum studies and collections from throughout North America. In addition to the concert, guests will have the opportunity to visit and experience Sage & Silver’s Native American Art Gallery, which features the artist who provided the album design – Mrs. Lauren Good Day Giago.

“We are so excited to have Darren’s passion and music at Sage & Silver,” said Sage & Silver Co-owner Mrs. Lauren Good Day Giago. “It is truly a celebration to have Between Earth and Sky premiere at Sage & Silver as it highlights the beauty and dedication to a nearly lost tradition in American Indian music.”

Some of the compositions Darren has recorded in Between Earth and Sky are influenced by songs from various tribes dating back to the 1800s, a period where much of American Indian culture was lost due to forced relocation to the Reservations created by the federal government. The album features art design, compositions, and instruments that reflect a time where cultural survival was severely threatened. Between Earth and Sky is a celebration of American Indian cultural revitalization.

“Many of those songs have been sparsely shared and it is truly a blessing to share these songs with the world,” continued Darren. “It was important to me to share my music with like minded people and I felt that Drumhop Productions, which is a company that focuses specifically on sharing the songs and traditions of American Indian people, would be a perfect fit for this project.”

The concert will also feature the technical talent of Between Earth and Sky sound engineer Rick Vanness of Hill City, South Dakota, who is providing sound and will be discussing the challenge of recording ancient instruments. Rick and Darren met while on set of Steven Lewis Simpson’s Neither Wolf Nor Dog which features David Bald Eagle, Christopher Sweeney and Tatanka Means and was filmed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the fall of 2014. In addition to the crew of the album project being on set, catering will be provided by Famous Dave’s of Rapid City.

What: Darren Thompson’s Between Earth and Sky: Native American Flute Music Recorded in the Black Hills Album Release Party